1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to enclosure systems for constraining the movements of a pet while traveling inside an automobile. More particularly, the present invention relates to erectable barriers for the passenger seats of a vehicle that are intended to limit the area in which a pet can move freely.
2. Prior Art Description
Many people own pets and occasionally have to travel with those pets in an automobile. For instance, pet owners often drive their pets to a vet. Small pets, such as any pet smaller than a cat, can be placed in a traveling cage. The cage can then be placed onto any seat inside a vehicle. However, large pets, such as dogs, are often too heavy to carry in a cage and/or require a cage too large to fit into an automobile. Consequently, larger pets are often placed into a vehicle without any constraints.
It will be understood that traveling in an automobile with an unconstrained pet is dangerous to both the pet and the driver of the vehicle. An unconstrained pet can climb or jump into the driver's seat and disrupt the driver by impairing the driver's vision or obstructing the driver's movements. Likewise, a pet can easily fall from a seat and become injured as the vehicle accelerates, decelerates, and turns. It is for these reasons that pet restraints for vehicle seats have been developed.
The prior art is replete with restraints for holding a pet in a safe position inside a vehicle. Many such prior art systems consist of a leash and an open-topped box. The box is placed on the seat of a vehicle. The pet is placed in the box and the leash holds the pet in the box. The box is intended to protect the vehicle seat from the claws and excrement contamination from the pet. The box also protects the pet by preventing the pet from sliding off the seat. Such prior art pet constraint systems are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,294 to Reid, entitled Pet Carrier For Vehicles, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,286 to Rux, entitled Pet Seat For Automobiles; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,003 to Jacobson, entitled Pet Carrier For Vehicles.
One problem associated with box-and-leash constraint systems is that the box must be small enough to fit in the vehicle. As such, it only works with small pets that fit comfortably into the box. Another problem is that the pet may climb out of the box and can become choked or entangled by the leash. Yet another problem is that box-and-leash constraint systems can only hold a single pet at a time.
For larger dogs and/or multiple pets, constraint systems have been developed that restrain the pet, or pets, to the back seat of the vehicle. Such prior art constraint systems erect a barrier between the front seats and the backseats of the vehicle so that a pet cannot climb forward into the front seats. The barrier is positioned at the forward edge of the backseats so that the pet cannot fall off the back seat and into the foot well in front of the back seats. Such prior art constraint systems are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,814 to Beaudet, entitled Pet Restrainer For Passenger Vehicles, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,105 to Kacar, entitled Automobile Pet Seat And Cargo Carrier.
Many problems are associated with back seat constraint systems. For instance, a vehicle must have an empty backseat in order to use the system. Many vehicles do not have backseats or have backseats occupied by child seats and the like. Furthermore, backseat constraint systems require the backseats to be bench seats. Many vehicles do not use bench seats. Backseat constraint systems also lack restraints that prevent a pet from falling across the backseat as a vehicle turns. Lastly, backseat constraint systems often obscure the rearward vision of a driver looking through a rearview mirror.
A need therefore exists for a pet constraint system that does not require a leash, does not confine an animal to a small box and does not require an open bench backseat. A need also exists for a pet constraint system that can be used with a wide variety of pets, is low cost and easy to both install and remove. These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.